Intercultural Awareness
My past experiences living in China (2005-2006) and India (2006-2007) gave me the opportunity to experience multiple cultures and traditions. This time living abroad opened my eyes to some of the key differences between cultures, but more importantly the similarities and shared experiences we all have as humans. As a teacher the time I spent abroad will be valuable in helping me navigate cultural differences and help me work through some of the difficulties that arise from having a group of diverse learners from varied cultural backgrounds. I have also gained an appreciation for other cultures and ways of being from these experiences that allow me to value the advantages that come from having different cultural backgrounds and values. I believe that these perspectives will be invaluable as I try to create a classroom where all feel valued and can learn together in their own ways.
Environmental Responsibility
Obtaining my degree in environmental science and my time spent working as an environmental consultant have given me an insight into the workings of our environmental and some perspective of the various parties that have an interest in environmental and economic issues. Just as the environment is a careful balance of numerous biotic and abiotic factors, from a human point of view there is a vital necessity to have a balance between conservation of our natural world and resources and our need to sustain and improve ourselves as a species. If we hope to thrive in the future, it is of the utmost importance that as a society we value this balance and do everything we can to limit our negative impacts and improve where we can while still using resources and enjoying the natural world. One of the reasons I chose to pursue this career rather than continue in environmental consulting is the fact that I will be able to bring this knowledge and passion to more people in my classroom and have a greater positive impact on society.
Innovation and Creative Problem Solving
I had the privilege to grow up under the tutelage of my father who designed and built custom homes and always put an emphasis on the ability to use critical thinking to solve empathic problems and create products or ideas of value. I believe that this is one of the most important competencies that I can model for my students and is important for me to practice in my future classroom and in my personal life. Whether it is designing and building a desk that fits my needs or creating a design challenge for my students I feel it is important to model and encourage the ADST creative cycle of empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test. As our society continues to evolve, I truly believe that this process will be increasingly important as our industries require more creativity and flexibility rather than a specific knowledge base.
